Brothers Forever
by Ikana's Sheikah
Summary: How far will you go for your brother?
1. Only One Option

**Author's Note:** More or less a novelization of a certain event in Tales of Xillia 2, with my own feelings added in. Spoiler Alert, sort of. Ludger Perspective.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything, that would be Namco.

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><p><em>"We made a promise to go to the Land of Canaan together, we pinky sweared on it, so don't you forget it Ludger!"<em>

Why, why now? This was all wrong!

_"You'll regret leaving this place for the rest of your life."_

**Shut up!**

There were voices, I heard them but I couldn't bring myself to care. I didn't want to listen to what they were saying. What they said _had_ to be done. I held onto Julius' arm tighter, wrenching the blade free from his hand, and throwing it on the ground watching it slide into the harbor. My hands were shaking, a thin trace of blood trailed on my palm, I clenched my fist to try and control myself, wishing to wake from this nightmare. I can't, anything but that!

_"Come find me when you've steeled yourself, when you know what you must do."_

That was bullshit! There just had to be another way. You said it yourself Jude, we've been through worse. Don't you dare turn your back on me now. Julius had a defeated look about him, a man ready to accept his fate. The air froze in the back of my throat when he revealed his blackened hand. Julius was stronger than this; he wouldn't lose himself to his own power. I refused to give in.

"There has to be another way, something we haven't thought of," the words were mine, although I didn't recognize my own voice. It was a plea, childlike, pathetic...weak. Julius shook his head before falling to his knee clutching his arm in pain. I held him close wishing I could will his pain away, this whole situation, and destroy this damn Kresnik curse. I can't let Julius die, I won't allow it. Elize felt my pain, she tried to ask the older members for help, but they offered nothing, fake sympathy with empty words. I'll save him myself.

"Listen to your big brother, Ludger. It's what he wants," the world's greatest salesman spoke. He didn't hold any conviction; Leia was quick to reprimand him, his bravado falling with each word. What about what_ I_ want?

"No...I can't," I murmured clutching tighter.

"_Now_ you lose your nerve? Have you forgotten all the dimensions you destroyed to get here," His Highness declared. That struck a chord. I _never_ could forget, I destroyed countless lives, friends, and foes alike. It didn't matter since we had to get to Canaan; we had to save our world no matter the cost. So now you say what's one more life?

"Damn it! I said no," I hollered back regaining my resolve. I killed Elle's Milla...I killed her father...I couldn't save either of them. And then...I lost Elle... I wasn't going to fail again!

"Ludger..." Jude, that timid voice that started me on this crazy journey, tried to find reason with me, stop my trembling... But I had already made up my mind, I swatted his hand away.

"Will that...be your final decision here," Maxwell voiced the question on everyone's mind. I couldn't breathe; the words were locking up in the back of my throat. I barely nodded. A tired sigh, a mirthless chuckle, Julius regained his composure taking in labored breaths.

"Go home, Ludger, you just don't have the stomach for this. Though I have to admit that's what I love about you," a ghost of that familiar smile twitched at the corners of his lips, before his face bunched up in agony as the last words came out as a cry. "Looks like I'll be troubling you after all," he wheezed as my efforts proved fruitless with holding him up.

"Allow me," Gaius spoke again in that same dead tone.

"Please, don't," I hate how I sounded pleading to him…_Begging_ him...

"For the sake of this world, we must reach the Land of Canaan."

Fuck the world.

It was my turn to protect you, Julius. The power of the Chromatus comes from our own desires, and the strength of our will to achieve those desires, no matter the price. I pulled Julius to his feet, steadying him for but a moment as I took his pocket watch. Please, let me do this one thing right.

_"You...you threw away everything for me?"_


	2. Resolve

**Author's Note:** Thanks to Irieru for suggesting a continuation, and to everyone else who took the chance to read the story. Without further ado, let's go.

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><p>Fuck the world.<p>

"Ludger, wait," Jude was the first to find his voice, trying to keep that leveled kindness to it, but I caught the spike of fear. Don't hold back for my sake.

Everyone took a step back as I summoned my Chromatus. They're hesitating, a moment too long. I took the advantage and lunged for Jude. He easily dodges, my swings are wide, but it does the trick to scatter the others. I have to keep moving, I can't afford to get cornered. I have to protect Julius. I chance the quickest glance to see him still standing where I left him; his face was a mix of shock, horror...relief? I don't have time to be certain; Rowen was the first to get caught in my swings. Parrying and dodging with an experienced edge, however I wasn't giving him the opportunity to land anything severe, nor was he.

A blur caught my eye as Rowen expertly dodged another blow. Leia, her staff took me off guard just a moment, but it was enough to send me into the column. Although she gave me the momentum I needed as I threw myself back at her. It took all her energy just to guard against me, our weapons created sparks when I pushed her back, following each of her swings with my own, before shoving her away. Rowen caught my eye once more to continue our dance; his motions a little more erratic, opening myself to an attack from Teepo. It was easily deflected when I kicked him to the side, giving me the needed boost to twist myself into the air, sending a plasma bolt towards his other half. Alvin intervened keeping her from harm.

_"This isn't right,"_ Muzét's thoughts reached my own, turning my attention skyward. I was in the air the instant I touched down from my attack. "Why would you-" I severed her words swatting her to the ground. I landed in a crouch over the archway; Gaius was waiting on the opposite end. Intent was in his eyes, no mercy, no malice, just fulfilling his duty; eliminating any obstacles to Canaan. We ran at each other, our weapons poised to strike, neither willing to back down. It ended in a draw creating a mana blast in its wake. The blast drained the remainder of the Chromatus, and sent me back to the ground. I raised my blades in defense, not even thinking about it, as they met with Jude's fist.

"Damn it." There was strength behind it but he was holding back, it lacked conviction, he was _still_ hesitating.

"This is… truly your decision," Maxwell asked once more, there was a pause in her phrasing. It was a question but it had a statement's finality. She was doing it for Jude, trying to see if one final plea would break my resolve.

I nodded. There was no going back.

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><p>"Calm down, you have to listen to us," Jude exclaimed. I'm perfectly calm; you're the ones who can't seem to understand that. You can't afford to half-assed this. I lunged at Jude, attacking with my twin blades distancing the healer from the main party. My attacks were fast, relentless to keep him from supporting the others. I blocked an attack from behind, familiar with his snap pivots that saved many lives in battle, mine included. I switched out for my pistols, rolling back when I felt a blast of fire singe past my head. Maxwell herself, I had to keep moving as the ground gave way to a stalagmite, it grazed me but it didn't slow me down. Conductor Rowen, so that was how they were going to play.<p>

"Elize, evacuate the harbor! Muzét help her out," Alvin ordered. The harbor isn't my concern, Alvie. "Gaius and I will back you up." I didn't care, but I threw another glance to Julius. He still stood, but was at a loss for words.

"You have to stop, do you know what you are doing," Leia demanded slamming down on my head, the impact rattled my blades, as I pushed off her with my hammer the added weight threw my balance a little but it created the distance I needed.

"It's too late, he's not holding back." _Finally_ someone was getting it through their head. I threw the hammer allowing the flare bombs to settle into the ground. Jude shielded his face as I began to set them off with my pistols, creating a cloud of dust on the ground.

"Please calm yourself you must listen to reason." I'll pass thanks. I caught the glimpse of a spirit arte glyph. I threw a few more bombs out as I switched back to my blades. I sifted through my memories, throwing a bind to the caster, courteous of Maxwell. My target in sight, I felt the blades bite into flesh. It was the hook I needed when I began to repeatedly slash upward, shifting through weapons to get the air I needed, before slashing back down, the body a cushion for me as I skidded to a halt; a blood smear on the cobblestones.

"This can't be," a muffled voice reached my ears before it dissolved into light heading skyward; looks like Maxwell returned to the spirit realm.

_"__Milla,"_ a voice shrieked in my head.

"It can't be like this," Jude spoke fighting back the fear. But I was already on my next target, the Bind wore off but the exhaustion remained the reality of the situation very much alive. I felt blood on my face as Rowen's body crumpled to the ground. Leia was dumbstruck, her hands went slack on her weapon; I couldn't even see her as a person now. Always had my back did you? Wanting to be something more for me, as I was for you? Don't make me laugh. I charged for her trembling form, she fell to her knees, Jude was trying to intersect me but someone proved quicker.

"Damn it! Don't go making the same mistakes I did," Alvin hollered our blades sparking. Jude came sweeping for my ankles; I lost my balance but managed a sloppy save, rolling to the side, before backpedaling more as I missed being impaled by the Spirit of Dimensions.

"Like Yurgen," I spat back. My body felt lighter, I could feel the Chromatus regaining its strength. I dodged a punch from Jude, switching to the hammer, striking the ground as the magic came swiftly sending a trail of ice to the researcher. It cracked as a ring of fire emerged around Jude. I didn't give a glance to Gaius, Muzét stood by Elize healing artes beginning to form around them. Alvin stood protectively over Leia. I faked a right towards the healers, before pulling out my pistols midway, warping between Alvin and Leia; a bullet rang out as Leia fell to the ground. "Or how about Presa," I mocked ending the man before he could have a say.

"Why does it have to be like this," Elize pleaded shaking her head as tears streaked down her face. The whys don't matter now do they? I'm doing what has to be done, in order to protect the only family I have left.

"Ludger," Julius spoke as the battle stopped with his single word. Gaius was the first to react, but my instincts proved swifter. "Ludger!" Blood streamed down my back as I fell into Julius, he barely managed to hold us up. Cheap move Gaius, my vision got hazy for a moment as I saw Gaius and Jude ready to link up for an attack. Elize and Muzét were preparing for support with their spirit artes.

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><p>"Let me protect you," I spoke with a small smile. Ignoring the pain, I stood up. Time came to a crawl when I activated the Chromatus. They fought with it before, but it's never quite the same against it. The movements came fluidly, effortlessly one combo into the next. They tried to counter it with their strongest artes, but I was quicker disrupting the chain before they could develop into anything more, nothing but fleeting memories. I summoned my lances, taking aim at their broken bodies, before letting them fly in a flurry. I followed through with the Lance of Kresnik, the ending impact shattered the dimension.<p>

I took a deep breath, steadying my rapidly beating heart, and straightened up. I looked up towards the Land of Canaan, its appearance making the sky a wicked tint of purple, adding to the bloody spectacle below. I didn't feel anything, not the blood trailing down my back, the blood staining my blades, nor the weight of my sins. None of that mattered, as far as I cared. Julius was alive, and _that_ was the only thing that held any meaning.


	3. Our Perfect World

**Author's Note: **And so concludes this story. I may visit this timeline again, a few ideas going for me. But for now thanks again and cheers.

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><p>"You…" I lifted my head slightly to show I was listening. "You threw away everything for me," it was a question, dipped in disbelief, or was it disappointment? His tone was hard to describe, was it pity? Shame? <em>Regret<em>? No…it was helplessness, about _his_ lack of power. Julius was always the one to shoulder all of the burdens, suffer all the pain, in order to protect me. And yet he couldn't save me from the one thing that mattered the most; becoming a tool for the Spirius Corporation and Bakur, staining my hands with blood, all because I was born. The wind began to pick up, carrying the scent of a storm, along with the lingering traces of blood and steel. But none of that matter.

"I only did what you have done for the last fifteen years; it was the least I could do. Besides you were going to do the same thing for me, I just beat you to it this time," I worded slowly, allowing sensation to return to my body. The pain returned along with it, but at that point my wounds didn't matter, I was able to be a brother to Julius for once. I heard him shuffling behind me; he took in a deep breath trying to find the proper words.

"So, this was all in vain," he stated. There was no emotion behind it just an observation. Was it? I found myself looking back to the Land of Canaan. Did Bakur defeat Chronos? Did he get his _'purely human'_ world? What about Elle? Guilt rose up in my chest as I wavered for a moment thinking about her. But didn't she go through with this to save me? Hesitating now, would only insult her wishes. I shook my head clear of any doubts. What was done was done.

"No-," I began but was cut short when I heard Julius' writhing in pain. He was struggling to stand, clutching his arm in agony. I barely saw the catalyst begin to chase up the rest of his arm when he fell to his knees; I threw my blades down running to his side. I knelt down in front of him grabbing his shoulders as pain continued to shake his body. I shook my head no, trying to steady his form. We've come this far, don't give up now. Please, I _need_ you Julius.

"Ludger," he gritted against the pain. I felt his eyes on me, losing focus for a moment before _really_ looking at me. "Or maybe…" I knew that look; I gave a reassuring smile, holding him tighter. "This is the world I wanted too." He returned my embrace as best as he could. I fought back the tears, trying to settle the torrent of memories that came rushing back. I slowly released him, standing up gaining new strength as I offered my hand. He accepted and I pulled him to his feet.

Julius leaned against me, that nostalgic tune reached my ears. I didn't bother holding back the tears this time; I picked up the Hymn within the next step, leaning on him for my own support. Two brothers leaving the world to ruin; I couldn't care less, as long as I had Julius let the world fall to destruction. We'll create our own perfect world.


End file.
